Social Media’s Nice, But It’s Not IRL

Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting up with professional friends for a fun night out. Despite the frigid temperatures, I was actually looking forward to bundling up and heading North for the occasion. These are people that I’ve worked long hours with, learned so much from and are just plain fun to be around. Plus, it’s always a wonderful networking opportunity for future endeavors when you hang out with well-connected people.

Hanging out with Dana Zezzo, inventor of the Zoint & “Get Social” king, at a tweet-up at the House of Blues in Vegas.

You don’t need to convince me of the benefits of social media, both personal and professional. I preach them every day. But some people mistake ‘getting social’ on social media for real life socializing, which it’s not. We all need interaction with other human beings (some more than others), and there’s something about face-to-face communication that just can’t be duplicated in other communication channels.

To illustrate my point, you may have come across this popular acronym during your social travels: IRL. It stands for In Real Life, as in “I finally met Lars Ulrich IRL at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yesterday. What a cool dude!”

Enjoying the Scottsdale weather with the guys from Driving Impressions.

So here’s my point: at some point, stop getting social online and actually meet up with some people IRL. You’ll be glad you did.

About Jaime Shine

I love to write. While most kids were playing with blocks or dolls, I was publishing magazines and newspapers – feature articles, ads, sports box scores, the whole nine yards. From promotions director to advertising roles to branding projects, I’ve always been interested in all forms of marketing. That interest blossomed into a career path and led me to open my own business, which has always been a dream of mine. And I’d love to work my magic for you.
Check out my company's services, discover more about me or chime in on my blog, covering a variety of topics, at http://jaimeshine.com.

11 thoughts on “Social Media’s Nice, But It’s Not IRL”

It was great to see you, Randy! Best of luck in your new endeavor. I know you’ll be awesome. You are simply one of the coolest people I know. Thanks for stopping by the blog! I welcome your comments at any time. 🙂

Hello Jaime, I love this post! I’d never ever heard the acrnoym “IRL,” but I have been known to use “In Real Life.” I never used social medai (except email) until I retired and starting blogging (April, 2013). Now I quite like Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr. That said, I totally agree … IRL is quite my favorite!

Thanks for the comment, Rich! There is so much in face-to-face communication that’s lost online. I hear you about meeting people in person vs. online. It can be interesting! Thanks for the kind words. Come back again! 🙂